Posts filed in oceanography

Attention Jacques Cousteau, Steve Zissou, and general oceanographer wannabes: you can now visit the sea beds of the world from your very computer. That’s because this week Google unveiled its latest addition to Google Maps–“street views” of six of the world’s most breathtaking coral reefs.

To capture these amazing images, Google turned to The Catlin Seaview Survey, whose team members occasionally dive into view of some of the photos.

[The divers] used a specialized SVII camera to capture the images. Every three seconds while traveling at about 2.5 miles/hour, the camera captures a 360-degree panorama with geolocation information and a compass heading. Only two of the cameras are in existence worldwide.

We just had to give it up for the amazing science and technology behind this project, which not only reminds us that the world is an awe-inspiring place, but also allows the landlubbers among us to discover every piece of it.